Demand Generation Manager Hiring Guide
ZYTHR Resources •
September 19, 2025
TL;DR
This guide provides role overview, core skills, sourcing and screening processes, interview questions, rejection criteria, a rubric for evaluation, selling points for closing candidates, red flags and a 30/60/90 onboarding plan tailored to hire a high-impact Demand Generation Manager.
Role Overview
A Demand Generation Manager designs and executes programs that generate, nurture and convert pipeline across channels. They own campaign strategy, channel mix, measurement and close collaboration with sales and product marketing to accelerate revenue. This role balances strategic planning with hands-on execution across paid, owned and earned channels and requires both analytical rigor and creative experimentation.
What That Looks Like In Practice
Running multi-channel programs that increase Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and pipeline, building attribution models to prove ROI, creating nurture journeys that shorten sales cycles, leading ABM plays for target accounts, optimizing paid channels and owning the lead handoff to Sales. Day-to-day includes campaign planning, dashboards, vendor management, creative briefs, and weekly alignment with SDRs and AEs.
Core Skills
The following technical and tactical skills are essential to evaluate. Candidates should demonstrate both strategic thinking and hands-on proficiency.
- Demand strategy & planning Experience building annual and quarterly demand plans tied to revenue goals, TAM/ICP segmentation, and channel allocation.
- Marketing automation & CRM Hands-on with tools like HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot or Eloqua and CRM experience (Salesforce) to build scoring, routing, and lead lifecycle workflows.
- Paid acquisition & programmatic Managing paid search, social, display, and programmatic campaigns with performance optimization and budget pacing.
- Content, ABM & nurture Designing targeted nurture flows, personalization, content gating strategies, and account-based plays for high-value segments.
- Analytics & attribution Creating dashboards, cohort analysis, multi-touch attribution models and deriving actionable insights to improve CPL and pipeline efficiency.
- Data hygiene & lead operations Understanding data quality, deduplication, enrichment and lead routing rules to keep funnel metrics trustworthy.
- Vendor & budget management Experience selecting and managing agencies, publishers, and tech vendors while tracking ROI and negotiating SLAs.
Level expectations by seniority — a mid-level manager should be hands-on across 3–4 channels and fully own attribution; a senior manager should also define strategy and manage cross-functional stakeholders.
Soft Skills
Demand generation is cross-functional work. These interpersonal skills determine whether a candidate can deliver impact beyond tactics.
- Cross-functional collaboration Ability to align with sales, product, content, and finance to turn marketing activity into measurable revenue.
- Data-driven decision making Comfort making trade-offs based on metrics, running experiments, and iterating quickly.
- Communication & storytelling Translating complex performance data into simple narratives that guide stakeholders and secure budget.
- Prioritization & project management Balancing long-term program development with short-term activation and ensuring timely execution.
- Leadership & influence Coaching junior marketers, influencing peers, and driving process improvements across teams.
Evaluate these through behavioral interviewing and examples of cross-team projects.
Job Description Do's and Don'ts
A clear job description attracts the right candidates and sets realistic expectations. Avoid jargon and packed wishlists that deter strong hires.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| List measurable outcomes the hire will own (e.g., pipeline targets, CPL reduction, MQL-to-SQL rate). | Use vague phrases like “will own growth” without clarifying channels, KPIs or scope. |
| Specify required tools and level of hands-on execution (e.g., Marketo admin, SFDC routing). | Demand 10+ years and 100% ownership of unrelated disciplines (product, creative, sales ops) without support. |
| Call out team structure and who they report to, plus budget authority. | Overload the JD with every possible skill; mix must-haves and aspirational skills without distinction. |
| Include examples of current tech stack and the top 2–3 immediate priorities. | Make compensation opaque when it’s known; hiding a realistic range reduces candidate flow. |
Keep JD language outcome-focused and indicate which skills are must-haves vs nice-to-haves.
Sourcing Strategy
Targeted sourcing yields better candidates than broad job posts. Focus on proven channels for performance marketers and B2B demand gen talent.
- LinkedIn targeted outreach Search by title variations (Demand Gen Manager, Growth Marketing Manager, Performance Marketing Manager) and filter by industry (SaaS, fintech, B2B) and tech keywords (Marketo, HubSpot, Salesforce).
- Referrals & internal networking Leverage current marketing and sales teams for introductions — referral hires often onboard faster and have higher retention.
- Industry communities & events Source from demand-gen communities, conferences (e.g., INBOUND, Growth Marketing Conference) and Slack groups focused on B2B marketing.
- Targeted job boards & marketplaces Post on Marketing-specific boards (Demand Gen Report, GrowthHackers) and use specialty recruiting marketplaces for performance marketers.
- Agency-to-in-house transitions Consider candidates from demand gen agencies who have run campaigns for multiple clients and can bring playbooks and vendor relationships.
- Boolean & GitHub-like sourcing for analytics Use boolean strings combining tool names and KPI terms (e.g., "Marketo" AND "attribution" OR "MQL") to find technically capable candidates.
Prioritize passive outreach for senior roles and scale active sourcing for mid-level managers.
Screening Process
A structured screening process helps move strong candidates quickly and reduces bias. Aim for 3–5 touchpoints with clear objectives at each stage.
- Resume & work-sample screen Confirm domain experience (B2B SaaS preferred), specific channel ownership, tools listed, and clear outcomes (pipeline numbers, CPL, conversion improvements).
- Recruiter phone screen (30 minutes) Assess role fit, compensation expectations, notice period, remote/location preferences, and high-level campaign examples to validate claims.
- Hiring manager interview (45–60 minutes) Deep dive into strategy, recent programs, measurement approach, and how they partnered with sales. Request concrete examples and numbers.
- Practical assessment / case or take-home (optional) Ask for a short campaign plan or audit (2–4 pages) with channel mix, KPI targets, budget allocation and success metrics to evaluate thinking and communication.
- Panel interview with cross-functional stakeholders Validate collaboration with sales, product marketing, analytics and creative. Focus on execution, conflict resolution, and stakeholder influence.
- Reference checks & offer Verify claims about results, leadership, and ability to deliver under constraints. Use references to probe actual contributions vs team-level performance.
Keep total time-to-offer under 4 weeks where possible to avoid losing candidates to competing offers.
Top Interview Questions
Q: Describe a demand gen campaign you designed that directly impacted pipeline. What was the goal, channel mix, budget, KPI targets and outcome?
A: Look for concrete metrics (MQLs, SQLs, pipeline $), channel-level performance, rationale for channel mix, A/B tests, and how learnings were applied to scale or pivot.
Q: How do you measure and attribute marketing-sourced pipeline in this organization?
A: Expect familiarity with multi-touch attribution, lead scoring, CRM integration, and how to reconcile marketing data with sales-accepted pipeline. Strong candidates will show examples of dashboards and key queries they used.
Q: Give an example of a time a program underperformed. What did you learn and how did you iterate?
A: Assess experimentation mindset, clarity on which metric failed, diagnostic steps, and a data-driven pivot that improved results.
Q: How have you aligned demand gen with SDR/AE teams to improve conversion from MQL to closed-won?
A: Look for process changes (lead routing, SLAs), shared definitions, joint KPIs, and examples of improved handoff metrics or shortened sales cycles.
Q: Which marketing automation and analytics tools have you administered, and what complex workflows or attribution setups have you built?
A: Strong hires can describe granular workflows, scoring models, data syncs with Salesforce, and how they validated data integrity.
Q: What would you prioritize in the first 90 days?
A: Expect a plan that includes audit of existing programs and data, quick wins to improve lead quality, alignment with sales, and 30/60/90-day KPIs.
Top Rejection Reasons
Deciding rejection reasons ahead of interviews helps interviewers screen for dealbreakers consistently. These are common, objective reasons to disqualify a candidate.
- No measurable outcomes Candidate cannot provide concrete metrics or examples showing how their work impacted pipeline, conversion or revenue.
- Lacks hands-on martech experience Claims strategy but can't demonstrate practical experience with automation platforms, CRM integrations, or campaign execution.
- Weak analytics & attribution skills Unable to explain how they measured program performance, set up tracking, or reconcile marketing and sales data.
- Poor collaboration history Shows inability to work cross-functionally, frequent conflicts with sales/product marketing, or no examples of stakeholder alignment.
- Overly theoretical / no experimentation Talks only about high-level ideas and lacks a history of running tests, iterating based on data, or optimizing channels.
- Cultural mismatch or unclear values Candidate's working style, career goals, or values don't align with the company's pace, team structure, or expectations for autonomy.
Document which reasons are absolute (e.g., lack of required hands-on tools) vs contextual (cultural fit or growth potential).
Evaluation Rubric / Interview Scorecard Overview
Use a consistent scorecard to remove bias and make hiring decisions transparent. Score each candidate on a 1–5 scale and collect examples to justify the score.
| Criteria | Rating (1–5) | What to look for / Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic thinking & planning | 5 = Clear, revenue-aligned demand strategy with segmentation and KPIs; 3 = Understands tactics; 1 = Tactical only | Look for documented plans, measurable targets, and examples of scaling programs. |
| Technical execution & tooling | 5 = Hands-on with automation, CRM, tracking and attribution; 3 = Familiar but not admin; 1 = No practical experience | Ask for specific workflows, tool admin examples, and troubleshooting stories. |
| Analytical rigor | 5 = Builds models, attribution and cohort analyses to inform decisions; 3 = Uses dashboards; 1 = Relies on intuition | Request a sample analysis or walk-through of a dashboard they owned. |
| Cross-functional collaboration | 5 = Proven partnership with Sales/Product and measurable joint outcomes; 3 = Worked with stakeholders; 1 = Siloed contributor | Look for examples of conflict resolution, SLA definitions and joint metrics. |
| Communication & influence | 5 = Simplifies data into narratives that secure buy-in and budget; 3 = Clear communicator; 1 = Unable to persuade stakeholders | Evidence: presentations to executives, budget approvals, or cross-team initiatives led. |
Require at least one concrete evidence point per criterion. Agree on minimum pass thresholds before interviews begin.
Closing & Selling The Role
Top candidates evaluate role, team, and career trajectory. Sell the opportunity by highlighting impact, autonomy, and resources.
- Impact & ownership Emphasize the direct line between their programs and revenue — clear KPIs, visibility to leadership, and ability to shape go-to-market strategy.
- Career progression Show a path to senior roles (Head of Demand Gen, Growth Lead) and opportunities to manage team members or lead cross-functional initiatives.
- Tech stack & autonomy Describe the current martech stack, budget control, and level of execution vs. delegation. Senior candidates want to know how much influence they’ll have on tooling choices.
- Team & cross-functional partners Highlight the strength of sales, product marketing, and analytics teams they’ll partner with — and confirm executive support for demand gen.
- Compensation & perks Be transparent about base, variable, equity, and benefits. Competitive offers and clarity on commission or bonus structure matter to top candidates.
Tailor the pitch to candidate priorities — career growth, compensation, technical ownership or mission.
Red Flags
Watch for signals that predict poor performance or mismatch early in the process.
- Vague metrics Cannot quantify past impact (no CPL, pipeline $ or conversion rates) or evasive about numbers.
- Blame culture Blames tools, teammates or leadership for failures without owning what they personally changed or tested.
- Short tenures with no clear explanation Multiple brief roles without valid context can indicate instability or deliverability issues.
- Reluctance to share work samples Avoids providing campaign examples, dashboards or a take-home plan; may indicate limited hands-on involvement.
- Resistance to data-driven experiments Prefers “instinct” over testing, lacks examples of A/B tests, lift studies, or iteration based on data.
Onboarding Recommendations
A structured 30/60/90 onboarding plan helps the new hire produce value quickly and build credibility across the org.
- Day 1–30: Audit & relationships Comprehensive audit of campaigns, tech stack, tracking, and lead flows. Introductions with Sales, Product Marketing, Analytics and external vendors. Deliver a one-page assessment with quick wins.
- Day 31–60: Quick wins & strategy Implement 1–3 quick experiments (improve landing page conversion, optimize a paid channel, tighten lead scoring). Present a 90-day plan aligning to pipeline targets and resource needs.
- Day 61–90: Scale & handoff Operationalize successful experiments, document playbooks, set recurring reporting cadence with Sales, and execute the first scaled ABM or paid program aligned to quarterly goals.
- Ongoing enablement Weekly 1:1 with manager, monthly cross-functional reviews, access to training on analytics/tools, and a clear promotion/path roadmap tied to measurable milestones.
Set clear early outcomes and enablement to accelerate impact within the first 90 days.
Ready to hire your next Demand Generation Manager?
Use this guide to craft the role, screen candidates efficiently, and close the best fit. If you'd like a tailored job description or interview scorecard for your company, reach out with your industry, target ICP, and tech stack.